Traditional fans bring a fresh breeze to contemporary life
HÀ NỘI – For many generations, craft villages have been places where the best of handicrafts come together, expressed through the skilled hands, creative minds and passion of artisans.
Each product is not only a useful item, but also a cultural memory passed down through generations.
However, amid the pace of industrialisation, many craft villages have found themselves fading away.
But shifts in product usage, technology and new marketing approaches are helping Vietnamese craft products find their place in today's world.
These efforts are opening new paths for craft villages to stay alive and grow in modern life.
Traditional fan craft village journey
Fans are found in every corner of Chàng Sơn village.
Fans are found in every corner of Chàng Sơn village.
Thạch Thất, a suburban district to the west of Hà Nội, is known as a land of crafts, home to the largest number of craft villages in the capital. Among them, fan-making villages stand out for their distinctive products and a history spanning more than 200 years.
Fans drying in front yards are a common sight, while the scent of wood and the rhythmic sound of fabric cutting create a lively, bustling atmosphere.
The family of Nguyễn Quang Hồng has maintained the craft across generations, with Hồng now carrying it forward as the fourth-generation artisan.
Hồng has been making fans since childhood, learning the trade from his mother, and has spent nearly 50 years honing the craft.
He has witnessed the ups and downs of the craft village, from its early days when fan-making relied mostly on basic techniques and manual printing. At that time, images were first printed using carved wooden blocks onto paper, which was then glued onto the fan’s bamboo frame.
Over time, the craft gradually developed from woodblock printing to silk-screen printing, making the images more refined. However, the drawback of these techniques is that the designs are fixed and lack visual diversity.
Later, some households moved to digital printing. With digital machines, images on fans are clearer and more vibrant.
“Now, while some steps that require a delicate touch remain manual, more advanced techniques have been applied to fan-making. Each stage of development usually took about five to ten years, and some even lasted up to 20 years," he said.
New life for the traditional fans
While carrying on the craft, Hồng aims to encourage young people to preserve the old while trying the new.
While carrying on the craft, Hồng aims to encourage young people to preserve the old while trying the new.
Long (on the left), inspired by his father, is exploring new directions for the fan-making craft.
Long (on the left), inspired by his father, is exploring new directions for the fan-making craft.
As society develops, electric fans and air conditioners have gradually replaced simple paper fans. At certain times, fan makers have had to witness the decline of their craft.
Hồng is not an outsider. After many years devoted to the craft, he understands that development cannot be halted and also recognises how difficult it is to change the village’s long-standing practices.
But he has always been committed to preserving them while also finding ways to further develop his family’s trade.
“The craft village has existed for a long time, so it carries certain inherent characteristics," Hồng said.
"However, when there are pioneers who embrace change and introduce new technologies to improve production and make products more attractive and better suited to the market, the craft village can continue to grow.”
He encouraged his son, Nguyễn Thành Long, to return to the village, believing the younger generation could bring new thinking to the craft.
That’s a reason why Long chose to go against the usual path of his peers and return home after graduation.
With a Gen Z mindset, his approach to traditional crafts is very creative and on-trend.
“Having been born and raised in the fan-making village, I inherited the craft from my grandparents and parents. I chose traditional fans partly because of my roots in Chàng Sơn and also because I see great potential in them," Long said.
“To me, a fan is no longer just for cooling, it can also be a meaningful gift or an accessory that makes an outfit more elegant, such as when paired with an áo dài.”
With his father’s experience and Long’s openness to new ideas, they have worked together to bring machinery into various stages of production. This has increased capacity while making designs more diverse.
“When I came back, I researched and applied new techniques, mainly focusing on two parts, which are the fan fabric and the ribs," Long said.
For the fabric, heat transfer printing has been applied, allowing any design to be printed onto the fan surface.
“The village’s traditional fans are made from paper, so the patterns on the paper can easily fade and tear over time. But when we change the material to fabric, the fans become more durable,” he said.
“What is difficult when printing on fabric is that we have to choose the finest ink suited to the design and fabric material to prevent it from bleeding.
"We also print on large pieces of fabric, so the step of bonding two layers of fabric to form both sides of the fan must be done very carefully.”
As for the ribs, laser technology is used to create more distinctive, intricate shapes and to engrave patterns, logos or images.
“During our research and development process, we’ve also created new wavy rib designs that are trendy nowadays,” Long added proudly.
Even the way fan designs are created is changing as well. Instead of relying on fixed patterns, they can now be customised.
When customers make requests, Long sketches the design, tests colours, patterns and produces sample fans. Once approved, the products are manufactured according to the order quantity.
While machinery works its way, what skilled artisans have to do is rely on experience to ensure quality and balance technology with handcrafting.
The process is now faster and more refined, but still requires great attention to detail.
“We innovate, but still try to preserve the core values of traditional fans. Many techniques have been applied but manual steps such as shaping the fan or soaking bamboo ribs to prevent moisture or mould can not be replaced. These stages require skilled hands and must be done carefully and quickly.
“We are proud that we have moved beyond the limits of fans that once featured only traditional calligraphy. Now we can create diverse designs based on customer requests and even engrave logos or text onto the ribs," he said.
"We innovate, but still try to preserve the core values of traditional fans."
Nguyễn Thành Long
New marketing – new market
Marketing approaches have also been updated.
Marketing approaches have also been updated.
The authentic fan-making process, inspired by the village’s artisans, has become an endless source of inspiration for short videos.
The authentic fan-making process, inspired by the village’s artisans, has become an endless source of inspiration for short videos.
Not only has the production process improved, but the marketing approaches have also changed.
Đỗ Mai Hằng, a marketing strategist, said that as a traditional craft, it faces challenges in reaching younger audiences.
“That is why we have had to be more creative in our communication and find ways to make the product more appealing.”
Using TikTok, a platform popular among young users, they chose not to simply sell products through livestreams like many others.
Instead, they tell the story by showcasing the authentic fan-making process through short videos. By doing so, we spark pure love for the cultural value of the fans among young people, influencing their buying decisions.
“Our key focus is storytelling and experience," Hằng said.
"Young people don’t just care about quality, they also look for meaning, messages and the story behind a product. So we bring the story of the fans onto social media.”
Chàng Sơn fans now have a new identity, which has changed how they are used.
They are no longer just for cooling or only sold mainly for festivals. Instead, they are used as gifts, promotional items and appear at various cultural events throughout the year.
“As a result, fans are now produced and used year-round. In the past, families in Chàng Sơn made fans during their farming off-season. Now they have work every day, providing stable income,” Long said.
Season after season, the artisans in Chàng Sơn now have found a new rhythm to keep the craft alive, a quiet rhythm but strong enough to preserve the tradition in the village.
When digital transformation is essential for businesses to broaden their customer base, the household's approach of building information platforms and connecting with digital platforms and e-commerce marketplaces to promote and commercialise products is a proactive and effective way to bring new life into craft products.
Long said: “I believe preserving traditional products is not only about protecting cultural items, but also about preserving a way of life, the way people worked and lived in the past, passed down through these products.”
“Through these fans, I hope to share cultural and spiritual values so that younger generations can understand and appreciate them.” VNS
People in the village now have work throughout the year.
People in the village now have work throughout the year.
Preserving traditional products is not only about protecting cultural items, but also about preserving a way of life.
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